Name: Toaster-Oven Ham, Egg, and Cheese Sandwiches
Total time: 1 h
Ingredients: 8 large eggs; ½ cup milk; ½ teaspoon table salt; 3 tablespoons mayonnaise; 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard; 4 slices deli ham; 4 ounces Gruyère cheese , shredded (1 cup); 4 hamburger buns , toasted; 1 ounce (1 cup) baby arugula

Why This Recipe Works

To have a classic café breakfast sandwich at home and make enough to share with family or friends, we called on the toaster oven for not just toasting the buns but also cooking great eggs. We perfected the enticing, pure-yellow egg layer in the middle of a breakfast sandwich by combining eggs, milk, and a little salt and baking the mixture in an 8-inch pan. Covering the eggs with aluminum foil and gently baking at 300 degrees let the liquid content from the milk steam, which delicately cooked the eggs and eliminated the need for a water bath. Cutting the cooked egg sheet into four pieces produced perfect squares that could be eaten right away or stored in the fridge for another morning. To ensure this sandwich was worth the wait, we added sliced ham and shredded Gruyère. A few minutes back in the toaster resulted in a melted, salty-sweet blanket of flavor right on top of the pillowy egg layer. Baby arugula provided freshness, while Dijon mayonnaise added richness and a hint of spice. These sandwiches are great for brunch, but irresistible 24-7.

Before You Begin

This recipe was developed using an 8-inch square metal baking pan. An 8-inch square glass or ceramic baking dish can also be used, but you will need to increase the baking time in step 1 to 40 to 50 minutes. Potato, kaiser, and brioche buns measuring roughly 4 inches in diameter all work well here.

Instructions

Adjust toaster oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees. Generously spray bottom and sides of 8-inch square baking pan with vegetable oil spray. Whisk eggs, milk, and salt in bowl until well combined. Transfer egg mixture to prepared pan, cover tightly with aluminum foil, and bake until egg is set, 30 to 35 minutes, rotating pan halfway through baking.

Run thin knife between egg and side of pan. Invert egg onto cutting board and cut into four squares. Combine mayonnaise and mustard in small bowl. (Egg squares and mayonnaise-mustard mixture can be refrigerated separately for up to 3 days. To reheat egg squares, increase bake time in step 3 to 4 to 6 minutes.)

Arrange desired number of egg squares on greased small rimmed baking sheet and top each square with 1 slice ham and ¼ cup Gruyère. Bake until ham is heated through and Gruyère is melted, 2 to 4 minutes.

Spread 1 tablespoon mayonnaise-mustard mixture on each bun top. Place egg squares on bun bottoms and top each with ¼ cup arugula and bun tops. Serve.